When the World Stopped Turning
by Wormtail
Summary: Harry Potter has reached his seventh year at Hogwarts School and Lord Voldemort has thought up a plan. No, let me rephrase that, a Master Plan. He's gaining strangth as the days slug on. He has a plan to kill anyone who gets in his way. Can Harry survive?
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1: A Test on Stupidity   
  
A/N: This is NOT an H/Hr ship! Hinted H/G and Hr/R  
It was March the third when Harry sat staring fixedly at the written Potions test in his hands. On it Snape had written in red ink: F  
  
"What? I studied! I actually studied!" Harry said outraged.  
  
"Me, too!" Ron spat, "I can't believe that good-for-nothing stupid bast-"  
  
"You flunked Potter?" Harry heard Draco Malfoy sneer. "You too, Weasley? Well the Ministry doesn't look like it's in your future...I s'pose your family will starve, Weasley? It was nice knowing you...And I guess Potter will have to go back to the Muggles.... What's it like there, Potter? Do they treat you right -?" He pulled a face that Harry supposed was sarcastic pity.   
  
"Shove it in Malfoy," Harry said coldly. He turned away trying not to pay attention.  
  
"I'd be quiet if I were you, Potter. You don't want to slip up," Malfoy said, his eyes flashing dangerously.  
  
"What're you on about Malfoy?" Harry whispered crossly as he pulled parchment out of his school bag.   
  
Malfoy smirked without answering.  
  
"What're you -?" Harry whispered again.  
  
"Excuse me, Potter," came Snape's icy voice from across the dungeon, "but I believe this is my class, and I will tell you when you have the right to talk. Ten points from Gryffindor."  
  
"That's not fair! Malfoy was talking, too - "   
  
"Silence!" Snape snarled, his eyes glittering dangerously. "Do not speak to me like that Potter! I suggest you keep quiet, unless you want me to take more."  
  
Harry went through the rest of the Potions lesson fuming about Snape's attitude, and what Malfoy had said. He never gets in trouble, Harry thought angrily. Why is it always me?   
  
**************************  
Harry left Snape's class with only one thing on his mind. Well, a few things on his mind, but this thing seemed a little more important: Malfoy. Harry knew that Malfoy's dad was a Death Eater, but he didn't think that Malfoy's attitude towards it was so lax. It probably wouldn't be long until Malfoy was a Death Eater himself. Harry didn't stop until he reached the portrait of the now sleeping Fat Lady and had to yell the password. ("Giggle Givers!")   
  
Harry walked into the Common Room, moving over to the empty armchair by the fire. The flames crackled peacefully, that being the only thing that seemed peaceful now....  
  
"Harry?"  
  
Harry jumped as Ron's hand came round, poking him hard on the shoulder.   
  
"What? Oh...."  
  
"What's up? You got up at the end of Potions and walked out. Your thinking about what Malfoy said, aren't you?" Ron said looking a little uneasy. "Harry, you shouldn't be worried about what he says... I reckon he's just trying to work you up - probably just mad about that last Quidditch match -"   
  
"- He's doing a great job of it too," Harry said looking into the fire. "There's no telling what Malfoy's up to...his dad probably has Death Eater parties... 'When, Knott, do you think we should finish him off?'"   
  
"What're you saying -?" asked Ron.   
  
"Nothing," Harry cut in. "I dunno... it just worries me a bit..." He stood up. "I think I'll go to bed...."  
  
"It's only eight -"   
  
"'Night, Ron," Harry said finally, walking over to the staircase leading up to the boys' dormitories. He climbed the stairs, leaving Ron standing by the fire looking confused. The seventh year boys' dormitory was completely empty, and would probably stay that way until well after mid-night. Harry pulled off his robe and glasses, and got into bed. He lay on his back for what seemed like hours, until at last he fell asleep.... 


	2. A Dream of Destiny

Chapter 2:A Dream of Destiny  
Harry looked around cautiously. He saw that he was standing in a darkened room, the only thing alight was the fire. A soft cold voice spoke from the shadows as though afraid of being heard.   
  
"Avery...you know I don't approve of Ministry Men...and yet you move with them ... You know you will pay dearly don't you, Avery?" the voice whispered.  
  
"I am very sorry, My Lord... so sorry! Please forgive me! I am not in with them I swear to you! I swear, Master!" came a quiet voice from beside Voldemort."Please   
forgive-"   
  
"I will not tolerate this... especially not from you..." Voldemort's voice sounded less soft now, as he began walking toward the other figure, something shining in his hand, his red eyes alight with malice. "You will not ruin my plan, Avery...I will take Hogwarts...and get Harry Potter once and for all...And now we must say good-bye, or you must. Good bye, Avery..."  
  
There was a deadly swish before the whole room was filled with Avery's long petrified screams. Harry heard Avery's body fall to the ground, his breathing raspy.   
  
Harry could see the heap that was Avery, his hand hiding something that Harry was sure he didn't want to see. Avery removed his hand to wipe his tear-streaked eyes and -   
  
Harry woke abruptly, a strangled yell escaping him. His scar burned dully on his forehead. He lay there trying to remember what he'd seen and heard, but it faded from his mind slowly as he tried to remember. He sat up and reached for his glasses. It was the weekend and the dormitory was already completely empty!   
  
Harry stood up and walked over to his trunk, pulling out a piece parchment along with his feather quill. Now was one of those important times to have a Godfather around... well not around really. Sirius had been on the run for nearly sixteen years now. Harry sat on his bed for a minute, thinking... Finally it came to him.   
  
He looked down at the finished letter and read it to himself.  
  
Sirius,  
  
How are you? I can't decide whether or not to tell you I'm all right...I don't really know. I had one of those nightmare things again. I won't bother you with details because I can't remember much of it...I do know that Voldemort was there (of course), and that he was talking to a Death Eater. Give Buckbeak a bow from; I owe him one.   
  
Harry   
  
Folding the letter, Harry made his way over to Hedwig's cage, and prodded her awake. She peaked at him from over her wing, and perked up instantly, seeing the letter in Harry's hand. He opened her cage and Hedwig fluttered softly out onto his arm.  
  
"Listen, I need you to find Sirius, I think he's hiding out at Lupin's place," Harry said placing the letter in her beak.  
  
She hooted understandingly before flying off through the open window.  
  
With a sigh Harry stepped out of the room and down the staircase into the Gryffindor Common Room. Ron was sitting in a chair by the fire reading Flying with the Cannons for the fifteen-hundredth time.   
  
Harry walked over to Ron and sat down in the empty armchair next to him.   
  
Ron turned away from his book to look over at Harry. "You slept really late...it's nearly lunchtime, you all right?" he said, watching Harry look into the fire as though Ron had not spoken a word.   
  
"I'm all right, I'm not hungry," Harry lied, his stomach really aching with emptiness because he had skipped dinner the night before.  
  
"You really should eat something you know," Hermione said as walked in through the portrait hole. "I brought you some toast back from breakfast... it might be a bit stale but it'll hold you over till lunch..." She handed him two pieces of toast inside a napkin before walking off without a word.  
  
"What's with her? She's been acted really weird lately," Ron said his face full of awe.  
  
"Dunno... haven't noticed," said Harry.   
  
"Don't you notice how she's always leaving? - Wait a minute...Are you and  
Hermione...you know -" Ron said, watching Harry suspiciously.   
  
"No -" said Harry resolutely.  
  
" - Behind my back -?"  
  
"No, Ron!" Harry finished, rather louder than he had intended. "You know I like Ginny, and I know you like Hermione."   
  
"Oh, yeah...er...sorry," Ron said, shrugging.   
  
"That's all right." Harry stopped for a moment, thinking about how to tell Ron about the dream he had had the night before. "Ron," he said finally.  
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"Er...I had another one of those dream things again...with Voldemort in it," Harry went on. "Avery was there...he was asking Voldemort to forgive him for something...He wanted him out of his way, and he said that Avery would ruin his plan..."   
  
"I've heard of him...Avery...er...Avery... Oh well, I don't remember his last name! Did you owl, Sirius? He'll freak out if you don't!" Ron exclaimed, his face very pale.  
  
"Yeah I Owled him," Harry said, standing up. "Reckon we should head down to lunch?"   
  
"S'pose so," said Ron, standing up, too. 


	3. A Letter From Padfoot

Ch 3: A letter from Padfoot  
  
The rest of the weekend came and went without any word from Sirius, and Harry grew worried. No letter from Sirius could have meant that Sirius was in danger. Or he could just be so far away that it would take an eternity for the letter to arrive. No, wait, he's at Lupin's, Harry thought that next Friday.   
  
To Harry's relief Sirius letter arrived the very next day, that Saturday. Harry had awoken to Hedwig's loud squawks. Rolling out of bed he went up to the window, opened it, and saw a flash of white feathers flutter past him.   
  
  
  
"Hedwig! Finally!" said Harry, as he rushed to untie the letter from her leg. "Did you have a long flight? You look spent."   
  
Hedwig hooted softly, and Harry knew that she didn't mind the flight. She was a very faithful pet. Rain or shine, heat or freeze, she would do anything to get her job done.   
  
Harry opened Sirius' letter and read.   
  
  
  
Harry,  
  
I'm fine. The question is, are you? Now, about this dream...Dumbledore reckons Voldemort has plans for this year...a bigger plan. Keep safe, and don't wander out by yourself. Ron and Hermione know, after what happened before now. I think Voldemort's killings before now are just his way of trying to scare us. The War is beginning, Harry...You need to watch out for yourself!   
  
I've been reading the Daily Prophet lately. Many people are dying; Aurors, a tonne of Muggles, and even Death Eaters have died. Signs, Harry, signs. These are all signs of the fight ahead. I'm not saying 'grab your sabre and charge' I'm just saying watch your back, and DON'T trust anyone you don't know.   
  
Sirius  
  
P.S. Write back as soon as you can!   
  
Harry folded the letter, his nerves unusually tight. War, and killings of Aurors and even Death Eaters? Well, Harry thought, Avery was one of them...But why would he kill them? They're with Voldemort, aren't they?  
  
He made his way down to the common room, the letter clutched tightly in his hand. He found Ron and Hermione at a table in a corner of the room playing Wizards' Chess.   
  
"Bishop to B 3," Ron laughed, standing up and walking over to Hermione's side. "What you need to do is... bring your Knight up here, that way you could get my King in Check - "   
  
"Ergh, Ron! Do you have to do that?" Hermione joked. "I think I know how to play!"  
  
"Okay...Okay, I guess you'll have to feel the extent of my wrath!" Ron said, pulling a goofy face.   
  
Hermione giggled.  
  
"You know, Ron, you should try that face more often," Harry said, walking up to the other two. His voice turned suddenly serious. "I got a reply from Sirius."  
  
"Oh!" Ron and Hermione said in unison, running up to him, and reading the open letter over his shoulder.  
  
"People are... dying?" Hermione asked when she had finished. "And why would he kill his own followers?"   
  
  
  
"Yeah, I know," Harry said. "That's what I thought when I first read it - but Voldemort doesn't care about them...he doesn't care about anyone..."  
  
"Er, I'm sure they've just made a mistake -" Ron said, running his fingers through his hair nervously.   
  
"No, I don't think they've made a mistake," Harry said, looking worried. "In that dream thing I had, Avery died, remember, Ron? The Ministry hasn't made a mistake." He walked over to an empty chair and sat down. "They know better than anyone...and Muggles are dying too, no matter how much the Ministry hates to admit it..."   
  
Ron gulped.   
  
"Harry, could you do me a bit of a favour?" he asked. "Say, You-know-Who!" 


	4. Chapter 4

****

Ch 4: Studying For Your N.E.W.T.s

****

"You reckon _Miss Delacour_ will give us hard exams? I don't think she will, with her being new and all," said Ron as he, Hermione, and Harry walked out of Transfiguration class. Ron had been very uptight ever since he had figured out that Fleur Delacour was to be their new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and he had acted very strangely in front of her, too. Ron would always come out of her class looking dazed

"Ron, why do you like her, anyway?" Hermione asked as they walked down the Defence Against the Dark Arts corridor. "She's not even pretty."

"Who are _you_ to judge, Granger?" a voice sneered from behind the trio. "You aren't necessarily, _pretty, _yourself, with hair like _that_…can't even see your face from behind that mane!" 

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Ron, plunging his hand down his robes and pulling out his wand. He stepped forward.

Hermione grabbed the back of Ron's robes.

"It's no big deal, Ron," she whispered, "let's go." 

They left and headed back to the Common Room. It was a marvel to Harry how Hermione could just turn away from Malfoy like that, and not even care what he was saying about her. 

"How _do _you do it?" Ron asked when they were all sitting by the warmly crackling fire. 

"Do what?" Hermione asked, bewildered.

"Ignore Malfoy, like that!" Harry finished. "I swear, I've tried it a_ million_ times, and it just doesn't work!"

"Every time I look at him I want to smash his face in," Ron fumed. "Insulting my family the way he does! I could show him a thing or two!" 

Hermione gave Ron a you-don't-need-to-get-bad-ideas look, and said, "It's not that hard to do, Ron. If that's all Malfoy has to say than why listen? He says it every time he sees you…it should be a little old by now!" She bent down and pulled her Charms book out of her schoolbag. "We need to work on the _Speechlessias_ Charm. Get your wands out." 

Harry pulled his out wand of the inside his robes and looked over to Ron, who was gripping his wand tightly in his hand.

"We haven't studied this one yet—" Ron said.

"Oh, yes we have! You two just won't ever pay attention! We studied for this at the beginning of second term, it's a silencing charm." She rolled up her sleeves importantly. "All you have to do is swish it a little like this —" she made a funny swooping motion with her wrist — "it's quite simple. You two try."

Hermione watched as the two boys tried to copy her, but ended up looking like they were swatting a rather nasty bug. 

"No, no, no!" she said, annoyed. "What you have to do is supinate your _wrist _not your _arm_," she said, showing them again. "Don't attempt to do it so slowly."   



End file.
